We’ll start from the “hardest” recipe to the easiest – but I put that in quotes because once you get the hang of making bread, it definitely isn’t difficult in the least. Still, you’ll see that the final recipe I share requires no kneading and is so easy that a three-year-old can make it. There’s video to prove it! So I suppose these recipes will go in order of more detailed to practically effortless. And with every recipe, the end result is amazing homemade bread!

I first shared this recipe back when my 4th son was little enough to sit on the countertop. He’s taller than me now and has to shave once a week, so that tells you how far our family and this site has come.

Either way, this Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe is wonderfully delicious, calls for only 6 simple ingredients, and is delightful when made with freshly ground hard white wheat. I highly recommend that you click over to read the recipe and the details as you will find:

If you want to use the above mentioned Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe to make cinnamon-sugar rolled Monkey Bread, you should click over to get all the details! Our older four boys were all so small then, helping me and making messes.

You’re beginning to think I’m lazy, huh? Hey, when we can make homemade bread and rolls without having to break a sweat, who am I to argue? And when we can have homemade rolls in one entire hour without much work? Everyone wins.

This is the one I was telling you about earlier – it’s so easy a 3-year old can make it!

I’ve started making this recipe almost exclusively now simply because I don’t have to do any work to have homemade bread for my family! Mix the ingredients, pour it into a baking pan, bake it, and have homemade bread. What could be better or easier?

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It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! It is my honor to introduce you all to our son, our Bonus Boy:

Brayden Coppinger

If you’re crying over that sweet face right now, you can be guaranteed that I am too.

Yesterday was a very, very big day!

We all wore flamingo apparel to the courthouse. Why, you ask? Why would we all wear flamingos for our special day in court?

Because we are a flamingo family. See, our oldest son Asa started a flamingo-wearing tradition a few years ago at the beginning of his freshman year of college. He started wearing some sort of flamingo apparel every Friday, dubbing it “Flamingo Friday.” It was so much fun that slowly we all started picking up flamingo socks and shirts also. Last year I even decorated my re-constructed bathroom with flamingos (because how else can a mom living in a household full of males have a PINK bathroom, am I right?!?!).

Anyway, flamingos. We love them. It’s a Coppinger thing.

So it only made sense that on this special day when we were adding a precious new one to our flock – we should all wear flamingos to celebrate.

So now it’s official! He is Brayden, our Bonus Boy. He made our youngest child become a middle child. He made all six of us reevaluate our priorities. He made us dig down and examine what it means to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus daily. He made us let go of the idea of soon having an empty nest, and helped us embrace the beauty of a home that starts over and embraces God’s better plan.

He made us the Coppinger7.

I stand in awe of this and of all the unknowns that God has yet to reveal.

While the adoption is now final, we realize that the journey is really just beginning. Yes, we are incredibly blessed to have this opportunity. But there’s no such thing as a “happily ever after.” We find that we need to constantly be in prayer over each day, asking for wisdom and guidance as we navigate roads we haven’t traveled before.

More than anything, we’ve learned that having an open heart to “whatever it is God wants to do in our lives” means that He’ll likely take us to a place we didn’t expect. But what better place is there than one that God leads you to Himself? Guaranteed, through it He will always provide for every need.

We praise God that our open hearts led us to this challenging and beautiful new life. Welcome to our world, Brayden Coppinger. You are dearly loved.

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I hear far too often from people who struggle to say “yes” to offers of help. Most definitely they don’t ever want to have to ask for help. I’ve struggled with the same, and today I want to share what God has been teaching me about why we should say “yes” to offers of help.

It’s a beautiful thing when God takes you on a journey that is too difficult to walk alone. Beautiful, you ask? To walk a difficult journey? Yes. Because it is while trudging through that difficult journey that we meet Him more fully. That is where we get to know His power. That’s where we learn how much we need Him and can’t live life without Him. That’s where we learn full surrender of self.

And while we are there, that is where He teaches us that we need His people. While God leads us down the challenging path, He is simultaneously telling others, through the power of the Holy Spirit, exactly what to do for us and say to us.

So reason #1 to say “yes” to offers of help:

You don’t want to miss out on the powerful work of the Holy Spirit on your behalf through others!

I cannot begin to express the joy we have experienced through our unexpected foster care and adoption journey when we have received direct blessings of the Holy Spirit through the hands of others.

As glorious as this journey has been, it has also been filled with many incredible difficulties. When we’ve cried out for God to meet a specific need, and then someone shows up, in obedience to God’s call, and meets that specific need? It is mind-blowingly beautiful. When we’ve had a need that we weren’t even able to put into words, then God works through His Spirit to meet the need He knows we have? It’s awe-inspiring. Truly powerful and humbling.

If God puts it on someone’s heart to reach out and serve us, but we pridefully say, “No. I’m okay. Thanks anyway,” we are ultimately saying, “No thanks, God. I don’t want or need your help. I can do this without you.”

Stop it. No you can’t. I know I certainly can’t. We absolutely need God and we absolutely need the help of His people.

This leads me to reason #2 we need to say “yes” to offers of help:

We are called to live a life of humility.

Pride is the ugly demon that makes us think we don’t need or shouldn’t want help. Pride tells us we can do it ourselves, alone. Pride tells us we need to be strong enough. Pride tells us we are admitting weakness if we say “yes.”

The truth is that we are showing great strength when we say “yes” to offers of help. When we deny ourselves, cast off sinful pride, and receive help with open arms, we are allowing God’s strength to be ours.

What if we chose to die to ourselves and let God be fully at work? What do we have to lose? Self. What do we have to gain? All that God has to offer!

And reason #3 to say “yes” to offers of help:

Because…we need it. We. Need. Help.

Don’t say you don’t, because you do. I do. We all do.

WE CANNOT DO THIS LIFE ALONE.

We need Jesus. We need each other. When others step in to take the baby, entertain the 5-year old, give a ride to the 14-year old, offer guidance and support to the 17-year old, hug me and let the tears fall (again), or do any number of the incredible acts of service God has put on their heart to do – I am overcome with gratitude and filled with relief, because of the lifted and shared burden of all that life on this earth tends to bring. There is no big act of service or small act of service. When someone serves according to the way God calls them to serve – IT IS ALL BIG.

When I joyfully accept every offer of help – I am experiencing God’s perfectly planned provision for my life and for my family. I’m not sure there anything more delightful than this. Why would I ever want to say “no” to this?!

Can I afford diapers? Yes. Can I hold the baby by myself during an entire church service? Sure. Can I load up the Littles and chauffer my teens to all their events? It is possible. Can I take the Littles to all of the Big’s events, all by myself? With a stash of cheese sticks and juice boxes, you bet. Can I put on my big girl pants and pull myself up by my bootstraps and do all the things all of the time? That’s what I’d like to tell myself.

But no. I can’t. Not all of the time, and neither can you.

We want to think that we can because when it really comes down to it, we can all work until we become raw and bloody while never asking for help. As if it’s honorable to be miserable. As if suffering for the sake of pride earns us a sparkly star on a chart.

This is all rubbish.

Start saying “yes” to offers of help.

And while you’re at it, confidently ask for help too.

Do it without apology. Do not be sorry for needing help or for receiving the gift of experiencing God at work in your life and the lives of others.

Say “yes” to offers of help.

You will experience God in ways you never have before. You will get to know your friends and neighbors and church family in ways that will amaze you. You will see God at work in how He has gifted people so that when you cheerfully say, “Hey, thank you so much for your help!!” they will say, “Sure, no problem!” because it will be true! When God is in it, it isn’t a problem.

The time to say “yes” is now.

Don’t cop out with “I’m not sure, this is a hard one for me” or “Oh well, I’ll keep working on it.”

It isn’t about you, and your work has nothing to do with this. Stop right now and ask God to show you how to say “yes” to offers of help.

Then let Him. Let Him be at work in your heart to show you the beauty of saying “yes” to help and of reaching out to ask for help when you need it. He is faithful! He will show you exactly what to do, exactly who to ask, and even when you don’t know what to ask, He will provide it anyway.

When He does, say “yes!”

Then watch and see all the goodness He will show you through your “yes.” Life as a body of believers is about to become more beautiful.

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If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late! We’ve got a fantastic two weeks in store for all of us, and it all begins Sunday night, August 18.

Read all the details of our Take Ten Challenge here. We’re going to walk you through taking ten minutes each morning to do some simple meal prep so that all you have to do at supper/dinner time is put on the final touches and serve your meal. Your family mealtime is going to be SO EASY!!!! All because you decided to:

Take Ten

Watch your inbox for a confirmation email, then you’ll receive a complete Take Ten Grocery List and information to get you started. The challenge begins on Monday, August 19! Sign up for free ($17.00 value!) by Sunday, August 18.

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I’ve had my Nutrimill for 14 years now. Have I used it much during those 14 years? Saved any dough (ha, see what I did there)? Have I found that it is worth the money to buy a Nutrimill?

Is it Worth the Money to Buy a Nutrimill?

Nutrimills cost around $249 $219 right now. That’s the cost of around 73 loaves of high quality 100% Whole Grain Bread from the store. So is it worth the money to buy a Nutrimill so we can make our bread instead of buying it?

Well, considering that our family can go through at least all 73 of those loaves of bread in just a few months, I’d say yes. Especially when I consider these reasons:

Bread made from freshly ground flour is the most amazing bread on the planet.

So grinding fresh flour in a Nutrimill actually makes our bread healthier, more delicious, and half the price of store-bought.

Is a Nutrimill a Must-Have?

Could I live without my Nutrimill? I guess. Does it save me time in the kitchen? Not really. But do I love having such a great appliance to help me grind fresh grain for our baked goods? Oh my goodness, YES!

I frequently grind hard and soft white wheat in my Nutrimill, which turns out the most delicious flour, which then turns out the most delicious breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. Now that I’m so used to baking with freshly ground flour, I’d have a hard time turning back. We’re pretty spoiled! ;)

Where do I get grain for my Nutrimill?

I order all of mine in bulk from Azure Standard. I keep a supply of Hard White Wheat (for yeast bread) and a supply of Soft White Wheat (for muffins, cookies, and cakes) on hand at all times. Then I grind it ahead and store it in an ice cream bucket in the freezer to pull out and use as needed.

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Once Upon a 25th Anniversary…

On this day, 25 years ago, two kids got married.

They were sweet and they were head over heels and they were ready (or not) to embark on the next journey of life called marriage.

Immediately following the wedding, they excitedly drove away toward their honeymoon destination, Colorado Springs, Colorado. They enjoyed a stay in a hideaway cabin, while taking in the scenery and walking the fun streets of Manitou Springs.

All the while, they talked and dreamed. They imagined what their life as a married couple and family would become. They talked about their future sons and daughters (ha!), what they might look like – if they’d be tall, blond, athletic, and adorable.

They rode the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak, and as they rode, they made a decision. Right there they declared, “On our 25th anniversary, let’s come back here and do this again!” And so it was decided. They would celebrate their 25th anniversary back in Colorado Springs.

As the years went by, God made many of their dreamy dreams come true. They were in ministry together, went through hardship together, figured out more of life together and would you believe? They had four adorable children – all sons – who are most certainly tall, blond, athletic, and much more incredible than they could ever have imagined.

Somehow those children grew and grew and began to leave the nest. They became teens and adults and the couple saw God at work in them in ways that left them constantly in amazement. Through this, the couple recognized more and more their need for Christ. They learned that God is the Father of their children. Surrender became a keyword in their household. They asked God to help them learn what it meant to live fully through the Holy Spirit because they knew they couldn’t do any of this life through their own strength or without help.

Then, one day without warning, God taught them a lesson in true surrender. Who was this? A 4-year old boy on the doorstep? Would they be willing to give him a home?

They gathered the family and spent some time in prayer. Yes, they decided. They would gladly give this dear one a home.

So four boys became five, and they all marveled at this unexpected turn of events in their lives. While big boys were leaving the nest, a new boy was added. Then just a few months later, the boy’s baby cousin moved into the home too. Six boys? One of them tiny? Well now, no one, not anyone had seen this coming.

But God. He had known all along. And as the family looked back on the past year’s events, they saw how He had prepared them for this. How He was fully in this and how He would always provide.

The oldest of six graduated from college just as the youngest of six was learning to crawl. Tears of trial and tears of gladness fell frequently down the mother’s cheeks. “How did we get here?” she often wondered.

Then quite suddenly, the couple’s 25th anniversary began to approach. Laughingly, they remembered their decision, made so long ago, to go back to Colorado Springs to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The couple marveled again at the innocence of the decision they had made as newlyweds, the unknown blessings that God would provide to their family and home through all these years. The four biological sons God would give them. The Bonus Boys they would fall in love with. The life, the ministry, the lessons, the love.

So much for the 25th-anniversary trip, thought the couple. No matter though. God had them where He wanted them. They could go on that trip another time.

But their friends wouldn’t hear of it. As they listened to the story of the sweet young couple who had so long ago made dreamy, faraway plans, they stood resolutely and said, “We’re making this happen for you. You are going.”

Tears fell again over the love being poured out. And then, because God was a part of it all, the plans began to fall into place.

With the help of the couple’s fabulous, servant-hearted grown sons and the absolute determination of the kind and loving friends, the couple filled the freezer with nuggets and the refrigerator with applesauce. They made a five-page instruction list and gave thorough tutorials to their sons on how to change diapers and make bottles. The sons and the friends said, “Enough. We’ve got this. GO.”

And so they did. The couple was amazed that it was happening, but away they went. They drove and they talked and they reflected on all God has done during the past 25 years. They praised God for their willing sons and darling friends who were so precious to care for the little ones so they could have a much-needed getaway.

It really happened. They went to Colorado Springs. They hiked and they walked the shops at Manitou and they relaxed and they soaked up the sun. They went to some of their favorite honeymoon spots and realized in awe how long ago it had been, but how quickly the 25 years had passed.

They laughed at themselves because even while they were away from the kids, they found that they talked about them constantly. They prayed together and they rested and they conquered The Manitou Incline – a challenge they loved taking on together.

Meanwhile, back at home, the kids were all well. From the friends to the big boys to the little boys, all fared just fine.

The couple returned home refreshed and ready for hugs. What they had once dreamed of, then had written off as impossible, had actually become a reality thanks to the love of so many who were willing to serve.

What will the next 25 years have in store? Well, if the couple has learned anything during these first 25 years of marriage it is that only God knows the plan. They know to be open and willing to say “yes” to God’s yes. They know that He is providing for them and preparing them for all that the unknowns that are to come.

Praise God for 25 years of experiencing God’s goodness and faithfulness, together. Here’s to every new tomorrow…

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Who’s ready to make dinner time easier and less stressful? Who’s interested in saving money and eating healthier? Join us for our fun and easy Take Ten Challenge!

Take ten minutes each morning to make dinner prep in the evening much easier! Ready to learn how?

What’s great about this “challenge” is that it’s really not so challenging at all. In fact, all the tips, suggestions, and challenges we’re going to offer should really make your life much, much easier. If you ask me, the actual dinner challenge really comes in not being prepared, in giving in to spending extra money on take-out, in feeling sluggish after eating a less-than-wholesome meal, and in becoming discouraged because we just don’t like cooking or just don’t know how to “get it together” in the kitchen.

The Take Ten Challenge is here to help.

Here’s how it works:

The Take Ten Challenge

Cost: $17.

What: You’ll receive step-by-step instructions and recipes to help you put meals on the table with an easy 10-minute morning prep! You’ll receive a complete grocery list to get you started. Then each evening of your 10-day challenge, you’ll receive an email containing tomorrow’s Take Ten Challenge information.

When: As soon as you sign up, you’ll receive an email with full grocery list for the Take Ten Challenge. Plus you’ll receive all the other information you’ll need. Two days later, your Take Ten Challenges will begin to arrive in your inbox. You’re going to love how easy this is!

How it works: After you sign up, we’ll immediately send you a complete grocery list and all the information you’ll need to know as we launch the challenge.

What you need to do: Read the simple information, grab the (inexpensive, basic, real food) groceries, and be ready to dive in two days after you sign up. (Hint: For the first meal and challenge, you only need 2 simple ingredients. Hooray!)

Then what: Watch for the first Take Ten Challenge email to arrive at 7:00 pm CST two days after you sign up. It’ll look something like this:

When each email arrives, plan to spend about 10 minutes (or less?!) the following morning doing whatever the Take Ten challenge suggests that you do. That evening, complete the final preparations, then enjoy an easy meal around the table with your family!

Not a morning person?

If you prefer, complete some of the meal prep tasks at night before heading to bed!

Watch for your Take Ten eBook!

After you complete the 10-day challenge, you’ll receive our complete Take Ten eBook, full of all of the challenges you completed plus much more great information!

Ready to join the Take Ten Challenge?

Once you’ve purchased, watch for an email letting you know how to access your Take Ten Challenge information. Then you’ll receive our free Take Ten grocery list and other important challenge information. Looking forward to saving time and money with you while we put great meals on the table!!

Ready to take ten minutes each morning to prepare your family's evening meal? The Take Ten Challenge is going to equip you with everything you need to prepare 10 meals with just 10 minutes of morning prep. You'll receive daily emails for 10 days, planning your meals for you, showing you just what to make and do, and you won't believe how this will simplify your life! At the end of the challenge, you'll receive our complete Take Ten eBook full of all 10 challenges plus many more recipes and time-saving ideas!

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We’ve been working hard this summer to put together more awesome, affordable, printable curriculum for families. You’ve seen some of these before. But look at all that’s new! Even if you don’t homeschool, you may want to use these for your family.

There’s so much for our kids to learn, but we believe in learning with a purpose. While reading, math, and geography are very important, nothing is more important than teaching our kids about our Creator and how to love and serve Him and others.

That’s why we continue to create simple, inexpensive printable curriculum options for our family and for yours. Learn academic basics together with a Kingdom focus!

It all started with our Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve Pre-K curriculum. We taught our kids the alphabet and letter sounds by helping them learn to think of others and serve others. (Bake brownies for Bob on Bb week, etc!) The idea was so successful that we put it all into a huge, wonderful curriculum kit for you!

30 Journal Page Prompts

Farming Fun Unit Studies

This one is geared toward kids in Pre-K through 1st grade, but as we all know, you can get older kids involved in discussion and research as your younger kids work through the simple and fun activities. (See details here.)

Travel the World, Experience the Creator

Your entire family can use this packet in some way as your younger students learn the basics and your older students go more in-depth. ALL of you can enjoy learning more about what scripture says about God’s wonderful earth and His plan for creation! (See details here.)

Fall Family Fun

Parents and kids of all ages get to enjoy this one together! Fall Family Fun is a printable book full of 40 pages worth of fall recipes, activities, games, and ways to serve. Study scriptures with a harvest focus, eat apple nachos, bake chocolate chip pumpkin bread, gather mittens for the homeless – you will love working through all these great ideas together!

Below you’ll find all of our wonderful curriculum options, and you can bet that we’ll keep adding as we keep creating!

Save 50%!

While our curriculum is already super affordable, for one week we’re going to give you a coupon worth 50% off if your order is $20 or more!

Buy any of the products below, and if your subtotal is $20 or more, you’ll receive 50% off when you use the code FAMILYLEARNING.

Don’t forget to grab the Dollar Deals and other great discounts in there while you’re at it!

Affordable Printable Curriculum for Families

Learn to Serve Complete Curriculum 3-Pack

Get our entire collection of Learn to Serve Curriculum Kits - Learn Your Letters, Learn Your Numbers, and Learn Your Colors. Teach all the fun academic basics to your early learners, and use what you're learning to serve people around you. Make lasting memories learning to serve with your entire family!

Teach your child to serve…one letter at a time! This 183 page downloadable kit includes thorough lesson plans, games, crafts, recipes, memory verses, Bible story suggestions, vocabulary stimulation and discussion, play, books to read and so much more…all while encouraging service to God!

This eCurriculum contains 148 pages filled with activities, patterns, printables, instructions, crafts, and games – all with the purpose of teaching your child numbers, counting, Bible stories and teachings, and a heart of service – all at the same time.

Learn about Farm Animals, Crops and Fields, Gardens and Orchards, What Farmers Do,
and Where our Food Comes From. Plus, Play Farming Games and make some Farm Friendly Recipes too! 30 pages filled with printables, activities, and practical ways to learn about the basics of farming.

Enjoy 40 pages of Fall Family Fun - recipes, activities, games, and ways to serve! Fall is a great time of year, and you and your family will love all of these wonderful suggestions for spending time together while digging into God's word and serving others too!

Study our earth's continents and oceans, all while learning about the One who created it all! Your entire family can enjoy this simple book filled with printable activities and lessons along with beautiful Scripture Pages to help you learn more about God's perfect plan for His beautiful world.

Ready to help your family get into the practice of reflecting and writing about God's work in your lives? Let these Journaling Prompt Pages help you! You'll find 15 pages for lower grades and 15 pages for upper grades, inspiring your kids to write or draw their experiences and thoughts.

Price: $5.00

Parent Kid Date Ideas

Want to spend some special 1-on-1 time with your kids without spending much or any money? Here are 70 great ideas for you to enjoy!

Teaching Your Kids to Cook is written for parents who desire to spend time helping their children learn their way around the kitchen. Filled with 86 pages of instructions, tips, activities, printables, and over 45 simple, kid-friendly recipes – you and your kids will have many opportunities to make messes together and get chocolate in your hair. Here’s hoping your kids learn how to put basic meals and treats together and learn to serve others too!
The recipes in this book include only wholesome, easy to attain ingredients. Teaching Your Kids to Cook is perfect for families with young children – oh the memories you will make!

Price: $9.95

Learn to Cook

Learn to Cook is written to anyone old enough to use a stove (I’d say ages 8 and up). This book can be handed directly to “the student” and while you should certainly be available to guide them along as they learn new kitchen skills, your sons and daughters, newlyweds, and cooking novices can read Learn to Cook on their own and take off with all of the new skills they are learning! From measuring to menu planning to grocery budgeting – this book covers all the kitchen basics. Not to mention, it includes over 55 simple to prepare recipes!

Get dozens of great ideas for fun to have as a family to make the most of your summer days. Get fun recipes, cute printables, oodles of games and activities to do inside and out. Wait till you see all the creative ways to use sidewalk chalk!

Price: $3.95

Price: $1.00

Chocolate Covered Kids Resource Pack

Grab this great package of resources to help you as you pull your kids into the kitchen with you! Get tips for making your time in the kitchen more enjoyable, ideas for skills your kids can learn at young ages, plus oodles of great kid-friendly recipes!

Get 5 awesome Kids in the Kitchen eBooks, cookbooks, and curriculum, all for just $20! You'll love all the kid friendly (real food!) recipes, the activities, the games, and the lessons provided to help you teach your kids to cook.

Price: $32.00

Price: $20.00

101 Preschool Projects

Need to keep your preschooler busy, but want to help them learn and be creative too? This book is filled with tried and true ideas for fun and learning throughout all the seasons of the year, inspired by Heavenly Homemakers readers!

Spend time as a family focusing on learning and applying key passages from Proverbs! Print this 85 page packet so that you and your family can work to memorize, discuss, and apply these scriptures to your lives. Packet includes 12 scriptures, and each scripture contains wall decor, memory work, a doodling page, handwriting pages, copy work, and journaling page printables. You will LOVE working through these gorgeous printables with your family, focusing on what matters most - Truth from Scripture! (Scriptures in printable pack are from NIV.)

Encourage your kids toward Godly behaviors with these five full sets of character charts and cut-out stickers in this collection. Each comes with a Bible lesson you can use as you introduce it to and use with your kids.
Shine Like Stars - from Philippians 2:14-16
Fruit of the Spirit - from Galatians 5:22-25
Walk in the Light - from 1 John 1:7
Be Imitators of God - from Ephesians 5:1-2
Treasures in Your Heart - from Matthew 6:19-21
You can use this collection in any way that works best for your family's character and Biblical training!

Price: $10.00

The coupon FAMILYLEARNING is good only on the products on this page. Happy shopping and learning!

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Every year it’s fun to talk through upcoming school plans! We’ve got our hands full this year with a kindergartener, a 9th grader, a 12th grader, and one in college. (We’ve got a college graduate and a baby boy too, but woohoo, they aren’t studying for tests this year. Our graduate is beyond happy about this.) Here’s our kindergarten through college curriculum plan for 2019!

Our Kindergarten through College Curriculum Plan

Bonus Boy and I have already started several of his books, simply because he was excited and he likes to stay busy. Who am I to argue with someone who wants to have a reading lesson? Meanwhile, our high schoolers are trying not to think about school starting yet. I don’t blame them. Summer break is bliss.

We’ll use several of the curriculum packets I’ve created to meet his specific needs. I’ll share more about these soon!

He’ll receive speech and language services from our public school once each week. I am SO GRATEFUL that they are so supportive of our plan to homeschool while still working with him to improve his speech and language skills. I’ll be a part of these sessions so that we can be more aware of what we’ll need to continue working on at home with him.

We’ll read, read, read, read, and read! Library here we come!

We’ll play, play, play! This boy loves to be on the go, explore, and be with friends. Never a dull moment, we’ll be involved in many activities that keep him interacting and active!

Boy #3 has become a senior this year! I’d say I blinked and here we are. But yeah right. We worked hard and here we are. Heh. :)

Elias is mostly finished with his regular high school credits, so he’ll be doing mostly college-level work this year.

He will be taking Chamber Singers (choir) and Strength Training (weight lifting) at our public high school so that he will qualify to play soccer with the public school team.

He will be taking classes at York College: College Algebra, College Speech, College Intro to Business, College American History, and one other college class to be determined. These will be divided between two semesters and will give him both high school and college credits.

At the end of this year, Elias will graduate from high school with 30 college credits (he started taking college-level classes as a high school sophomore) so he will begin college next year as a college sophomore!

In case you’re wondering about our other boys…

Asa graduated from college in May and is working toward a full-time career in Videography. He is incredibly gifted in this field and has used his summer to work on several video projects for clients.

Justus is starting his second year at York College (though technically now he is a college junior). He is pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance and wants to have a career in Music Production. He is in choir, student government, and helps with the men’s soccer team.

And because he shouldn’t be left out, our foster Boy Babe is 8 months old and learning how to stay away from the stairs and electrical outlets. He gets an extraordinary amount kisses from the seven of us every day, so we’re pretty sure that’s why he’s so roly-poly.

I’d love to hear more about your upcoming school plans (public, private, or homeschool)! And stay tuned because we have some fun curriculum creations we’re about to reveal. Psst, some are FREE!

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It’s this year’s Back to School Freezer Cooking Plan!

Back to School Freezer Cooking Plan, 2019

I have to do it every year. I can’t not do it. I make all the food and I stock up on everything under the sun. My brain somehow cannot handle thinking that we might have to go to the store for toilet paper on the third day of school, so I make sure we have three…cases. Every year. Apparently, we need toilet paper to get us through until Christmas, as if I won’t go to the store for other things before then?

Even though I do think that in some ways my brain is crazy, there is much to be said for my desire to get ahead a little and stock-pile food and essentials before a new school year begins. With a new school year comes fall soccer season, which for our family is intense as we have players, referees, and a collegiate coach under our roof. We live, eat, breathe soccer from August until November. This year we added a brand new 5-year old soccer player to the ranks.

When we found his first pair of soccer cleats on clearance this summer, he was beyond excited. Finally, he can be a soccer player like his big brothers!

And let it be noted that this year we are also toting a Boy Babe to all the games with us while trying to keep him from eating electrical cords and climbing into the fireplace during a homeschool history lesson. So now who’s making fun of my three-case stash of Northern?

I’ve been working since mid-July to fill the freezer and stock-pile essential ingredients and household goods. I’ve taken wonderful advantage of Amazon Prime Pantry and Subscribe and Save. Amazon brings me joy…and groceries. And yeah, lots of toilet paper.

Here’s what I’ve been working on so far to get ahead:

I got three pounds of ground chicken on mark-down, so I quickly added this recipe to my freezer-cooking list. These mix up quickly, and having them in the freezer ready to bake for a quick lunch or dinner will be perfect during this busy time of year.

One of my favorite tricks for saving time is baking several pounds of bacon, then freezing it to pull out and rewarm on the stove. When I do this, we can have hot sizzling bacon with our eggs or pancakes in just 30 seconds.

This is also a favorite, and I can do as I mentioned above – bake it while we’re at a game and have dinner ready immediately when we get home!

In addition to all these prepared foods, I have worked to stock up on a supply of most of our essential ingredients so I can “shop from the pantry, fridge, or freezer” as much as possible instead of going to the store.

Want a cheat sheet full of Simple Ingredients to help you have all the real food basics on hand too? It’s free – grab it here!